next generation influencers

Next meeting
The next meeting will be held on 4 - 6 May (location to be confirmed). We will be looking at the topic of "Transitions", Primary to Secondary (SEKI-SEKII) and Secondary to tertiary levels.

If you are interested in joining or contributing to the Next Generation Influencers network please contact elt.germany@britishcouncil.de

Previous meetings

• 5-6 December 2003, Sächsische Akademie für Lehrerfortbildung, Meißen
  Topic: The European Language Portfolio ; Keynotes: Dave Allan, Dr. Ilse Brunner
• 23-24 April 2004, Sächsische Akademie für Lehrerfortbildung, Meißen
  Topic: Primary English and the transition to secondary; Keynote: Prof. Dr. Werner Bleyhl
• 5-6- November 2004, Sächsische Akademie für Lehrerfortbildung, Meißen
  Topic: Best practice in teacher training ; Dr. Norbert Pachler

Most recent meetings

• 15-16 April, Reinhardswaldschule, Kassel-Fuldatal,
  Topic: Assessing oral production, Keynote
• 18 - 19 November 2005, Reinhardswaldschule, Kassel-Fuldatal.
  Topic: Assessing Oral production, continued

Participants
There were 20 participants from different regions of Germany (Baden Wurttemberg, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia), as well as the keynote speaker from the UK, Alan Pulverness, and British Council Germany staff.

Programme
Alan Pulverness gave a practical workshop on the potential and pitfalls of joint modes of assessment before participants split into groups to discuss their ideas on the topic. Afterwards there were workshops (Primary and SEKI-II) to ‘test the test'; using concrete examples to look at assessment modes participants had developed.

Highlights
Keynote
To stimulate debate on the pros and cons of joint assessment, Alan Pulverness showed a video clip of four students being assessed together. Participants reacted positively to what they saw as real communication between the students in the group. They had reservations, however, about an assessor's ability to observe four students at once and thought it might be problematic to organise such tests within the normal school day.

Alan Pulverness went on to detail the problems with solo assessment before comparing the benefits of joint modes of assessment. He also outlined some inherent pitfalls with joint assessment but suggested a number of ideas which can optimise group performance.

Possible task types and assessment criteria were suggested by Alan and participants:

Group discussions

• In Brandenburg , there is a handbook (Handreichungen) available for task types.
  
• At the Pädagogische Hochschule Heidelberg (Bärbel Diehr, Leistung kindgemäß beurteilen in: Primary English, Ausgabe 1/2005 S. 10ff ) observation sheets have been trialled and evaluated by experienced teachers and it was found that only a limited number of criteria is manageable in an assessment situation. Prof. Diehr is currently researching oral assessment in primary school.
  
• On the subject of test preparation and administration, participants discussed the usefulness and practical implications of mock exams and using audio and/or video recordings.
  
• Teachers need training to be effective interlocutors or assessors.
  
• Assessment should occur regularly , not just in a testing situation.
  
• Related to test criteria, many participants felt there was a need for training to enable teachers to focus on several criteria at once, especially those criteria which are less familiar, such as interactive skills or ability to take risks. Some participants wondered whether holistic or analytical assessment grids were better/easier to use.
  
• Once schools/Bundesländer have decided on criteria (e.g. CEF table), there needs to be training (and regular review sessions) to help teachers interpret them in a standardised manner. Criteria need to be transparent to meet the needs of teachers, students and parents; they should encourage and motivate (e.g. ‘can do' statements) but also need to justify negative assessments.
  
• The wider issue of whether tests should be implemented at a national level was also broached.
  
• Participants discussing primary level testing emphasised how important success is at such an early stage of language learning. It was agreed that testing situations should be as stress-free as possible. The question was also raised whether a student's individual progress should be assessed or how they fulfil a given standard.
  
• Similarly, on the subject of weaker learners, ideas included paying more attention to non-verbal means of communication, choosing ‘can do' statements that recognise their level, as well as teaching ‘survival' strategies and using visual aids.
  
• To find time for the necessary free oral production in order to test oral skills, some participants suggested that either some written tests could be replaced or arrangements could be made with other subject teachers to create project work situations where students would be required to present and discuss outcomes in a team.